Crostolo

The Crostolo is a creek in Emilia-Romagna that flows northward from the Apennines to the Po River near Guastalla. The waterway moves through an area of extensive farmland and supplies the irrigation systems of the surrounding agricultural fields.

The creek has shaped settlement patterns and development throughout Reggio Emilia province since ancient times, influencing where communities formed along its banks. This role as a natural resource made it central to the region's growth.

The creek appears in local monuments and artworks throughout Reggio Emilia, representing its importance to the city's identity. Visitors notice this connection while walking through the city center and encountering references to the waterway in public spaces.

The creek is accessible at several points with marked paths that allow exploring the landscape along the banks. The best time to visit is outside winter months when water levels are lower and pathways are drier.

The Civic Museum near the creek houses a sperm whale skeleton that washed ashore on an Adriatic beach in 1938. This unexpected presence links inland Reggio Emilia to marine history and shows how natural events connect distant places.